This invention relates to the management of switched digital communications through a communications network and more particularly to a method and a system for rerouting digital traffic via multiple endpoint paths in the event of an endpoint failure.
The ever-increasing popularity of personal computers, modems and other terminal devices, in both home and enterprise environments, has expanded the need for reliable communications networks whether they be local area networks (LAN), wide area networks (WAN), Internet or Intranet. Digital networks of the type contemplated by this invention are capable of transporting circuit switched voice and data as well as packet switched communications such as frame relay and asynchronous transfer mode (ATM).
An important component in digital communications networks is the network manager which permits the user to set up and manage virtual backbone networks and virtual switched networks. Network managers such as Newbridge Networks Corporation""s 4601, 4602 and 46020 MainStreet (trademark) provide the user with a graphical user interface (GUI) to create and manage network paths between selected end stations across the network architecture.
These network managers give the user or operator the capability of monitoring traffic flow from node to node within the network and to automatically reroute the traffic if a network node becomes unserviceable for any reason. In this way, if a particular switching node within the network experiences failure the network manager will automatically calculate an alternate path through the network and reroute the traffic flow as necessary in order to bypass the failed node.
It is believed that heretofore network managers have not been able to automatically overcome a situation in which the endpoint path fails. Thus, if a path is set up from endpoint to endpoint across the network and one of the pathends fail, the complete path goes out of service. In this event the status of the path is referred to as connected-down. The connections along the path remain active but the path doesn""t. When the failed endpoint comes back online the complete path again becomes active. Currently, this problem is solved manually by creating another path with a new endpoint or by fixing the faulty endpoint. There is, therefore, a need to provide automatic recovery for path endpoint failures.
It is an object of the present invention to provide compatible alternate end paths for selected active end paths within a digital communication network.
Therefore, in accordance with a first aspect of the present invention there is provided, in a network manager for managing switched digital communications through a network, a system for providing endpoint path redundancy by means of multiple endpoint paths. The system comprises means to define a compatible alternate pathend for a selected active pathend; storage means for storing configuration information respecting the alternate pathend; means to detect a malfunction in the selected active pathend; means to access the storage means to obtain the configuration information in the event of a malfunction of the selected active pathend; and rerouting means to switch data destined for the selected active pathend to the alternate pathend upon receipt of the configuration information.
In accordance with a second aspect of the present invention there is provided a method of managing switched digital communications to an endpoint in a communications network, the endpoint having an active end path. The method comprises defining a compatible alternate end path for the active end path; storing configuration information respecting the alternate end path in storage means; detecting a malfunction at the active path; retrieving configuration information respecting the alternate end path in the event of a failure of the active end path; and routing the digital communication to the alternate end path on receipt of the configuration information.